The Slovakian founder of Costa Rican surf hotel House of Somos explains how he achieved a laid-back existence.
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After selling his Tokyo-based design consultancy, Brano Polak ended up in Costa Rica, in the surfers’ haven of Santa Teresa, where he launched his first hospitality project, House of Somos.
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The ethos is simple – surf and ride motorcycles all day; hang out with fellow travellers at night. For the project, he teamed up with friends Fabio Pacheco, Forrest Minchinton and Kris Czartoryski, a group of travellers, surfers and dirt-bikers who shared his vision.
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At House of Somos, rooms range from $20 to $300 per night. ‘No matter the room you can afford, House of Somos is the place where people align on shared paths,’ Brano says.
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Guests can meet other travellers by the pool and eat locally grown, organic dishes made in a custom Airstream kitchen, or rent a dirt bike to cruise the coastlines of the Nicoya peninsula before camping in the jungle. It is, essentially, the sort of life that Brano always wanted.
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In 2019, the team also launched a non-profit programme to invest in Santa Teresa’s local infrastructure, education and food safety.
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